Introduction
Feed the cat. Save the world. Fall in love?
Israfil isn't a cat person. Or a people person. Actually, he doesn't like anyone or anything, yet for some reason, once he's released after millennia from his prison, he accidentally acquires a feline.
But Kitty, and her many—many—demands, is nothing compared to the human he encounters.
Serafina is a treasure hunter, and she won't let anything get in her way, not even a horseman of the apocalypse and his talkative cat.
As they explore dangerous catacombs in search of a magical artifact, she not only has to watch out for traps but keep a tether on her attraction. A losing cause since she is tempted to find out if dragons are big all over. The good news? If this confirmed bachelorette succumbs to allure, it will be a temporary fling because he's not into commitment.
What they didn't count on? A meddling Kitty and love.
The previous books in the series (see EveLanglais.com):
***Each book follows a couple to their happily ever after.
Prologue
Before Kitty almost ended the world, she—a female of a mature five years, who’d thankfully managed to avoid the impregnation trap suffered by her other litter mates—roamed the streets, stealing scraps and hunting rats whilst evading death. Good thing she still had seven lives left, as the streets could be hard and existence often short.
That all changed when she freed a Jinn from a glass bottle—rolled that sucker right off the edge of the shelf where it taunted her. The smoky presence she released initially scared her. In a panic, Kitty wished to be somewhere else and poof! She appeared in the middle of a desert, where she encountered a dragon in human form. It should be noted she had little use for the two-legged unless they had food to give.
She couldn’t have said what appealed to her about the oversized male atop the boney beast that carried it; however, when he scooped up Kitty and placed her in the most regal of positions—in front of him on his steed—she decided to keep him on as her servant.
Thus far, it had worked in her favor. He fed her from his plate, the best parts of course. Scratched her with the right amount of pressure behind the ears. Stroked her fur until it became sleek. He also led an interesting life that involved much exploration—oftentimes in places with prey for her to hunt.
When they weren’t scouring the world for his enemies, they stayed in a lovely home with plenty of holes in the walls for her to investigate, mice to eat, and a chance to show off to other less fortunate felines who envied her majestic nature and devoted, two-legged servant.
A servant deeply troubled.
Her little brain had a hard time grasping why he seemed malcontent. How she wished she could understand.
And suddenly she did. The street cat went from having simple thoughts and desires to being a complex being with insight thanks to the jinn she'd released. Everyone knew jinn—also known as Shaitan and genies depending on the level of power—always gave three wishes. She'd now used two.
The second allowed her to perceive the world in a new fashion that fed her curiosity. A dangerous thing for a feline with several lives left and one last wish.
But first… Where was her servant with her dinner?
Chapter One
The cat in Israfil's lap purred as he stroked its silken fur. He'd never been one for felines, or canines for that matter. The only thing close to a pet that he ever owned was his horse, Kliiv, who'd served him well and continued to do so even after death.
Years spent carefully carving runes in a bone left behind by his steed meant when he returned to the world, he could count on Kliiv's solid presence. Magic gave the soul he'd kept a corporeal form, with a few modifications such as a coat dark as night, eyes blazing red, and height. Kliiv now stood several handspans taller than he had in life, and when Israfil’s mount huffed through his nostrils, the smoke held a hint of sulfur, while the hooves left sparks when clipping across rock.
"I really don't see why we came here, Kitty."
Israfil bestowed upon the feline a simple name because she rejected everything else. Kitty had a very distinct way of making her feelings known. Feed her the wrong thing? She'd slice your hand open. Didn't give her petting when demanded? More scratches.
Her demanding nature actually endeared her to him, not that he'd ever admit it. It would ruin his reputation. As to how they came to be a pair…
She'd been in the desert when he'd emerged from a three-thousand-year imprisonment, sitting calmly on her haunches, expression haughty, clearly waiting for him to pick her up. He'd been carting her around ever since. At times, he felt like her servant.
Ridiculous, of course. As if he'd ever serve a cat.
Kitty glanced at him and blinked.
"Don't give me that look. I'm aware of why we came, but I'd still rather be anywhere else. Maybe I'll get lucky and admitting I need help will kill me." A man could hope, even if it hadn't worked in the past.
“Meow.” Kitty uncurled herself and leapt from the high back of the horse to the ground.
"I'll whine if I want to," he huffed, slipping off his mount. How far he'd fallen. A dragon mage arguing with his cat. A cat who couldn't even speak!
Used to be, Israfil didn't have to ask for help because he'd been a knowledgeable person with all the answers. But that was in the old world. Time passed while he essentially stood still. The modern world arrived, and he'd yet to completely catch up. For all he'd learned since his release, there remained much he didn't understand. Technology being a prime example. He still didn't grasp phones and how they allowed people to talk across great distances. And this thing they called television? Why watch a performance on a box rather than in person?
Blame humans. Since they couldn't wield magic, they built. Roads, buildings, vehicles that could fly. The world was a much different place now, and the dragons he used to lord over had changed with it. His kind had gone from being top of the evolutionary chain to hiding from humans. They hid their existence because, apparently, dragons had been almost wiped out. Their own fault for banishing the dragon mages!
He still couldn't believe their arrogant nerve. Even now, the descendants of his people refused to properly bow to the mages who not only beat them in power but age. Their lack of respect would lead to Israfil teaching them a lesson about honoring their betters, but only after he got rid of all the Shaitan.
Nasty creatures from another dimension. They'd caused such havoc in his time. He'd lost many friends and family in the Shaitan wars to the invasive race determined to bring about the end of the world. It might be an improvement, given the blight of humans upon it.
There were so many of them now. What a waste of space. Why couldn't some tasty sheep or delicious goats have been the ones to multiply in the billions?
He returned to the moment and tucked his Kliiv-summoning bone into his pocket as he observed the electrified fence in front of him. It surrounded the compound owned by the Silvergrace family, a Sept of silver dragons who served a golden king. A king who wasn't a mage and who'd married a shifter. Appalling. But he'd not come to discuss their lack of etiquette or politics, but rather—